Thill-coupling.



No. 661,828. Patented N-ov.-|3, I900.

' J. H. THACKER.

THILL COUPLING.

(Application filefl Dem-29, 1899.)

;(No Model.)

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES H. THAG KER, OF OSVVEGO, SOUTH CAROLINA.

THlLL-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming art Of Letters Patent NO. 661.828 dated November 13, 1900.

Application filed December 29, 1899. Serial No. 741,983. (No model.)

To aZZ whmn it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JAMES H. THAGKER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Oswego, in the county of Sumter and State of South Carolina, have invented new and useful Improvements in Thin-Couplings, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in thin-couplings, and pertains to a coupling in which there are two members, one member being movable for the purpose of clamping the draft-bolt and thereby the thill-coupling to the clip and means for holdingthe movable member, all of which will be fully de-. scribed hereinafter and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of myfcoupling, showing it attached to the axle-clip. Fig. 2 is a verti-' cal longitudinal sectional view of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a detached perspective view o'f the movable clamping member. Fig. 4 is a detached inverted perspective view of the permanent memberof the coupling. Fig. 5 isa detached perspective view of the locking thumb-nut.

The object of my invention is to provide a simple and cheap thill-coupling in which the parts are readily movable for the purpose of connecting the coupling or detaching it, the parts being constructed to utilize one of the shaft-clamping bolts as the means for holding the movableclamping member of the coupling.

Referring now to the drawings, A indicates the axle; B, the ordinary axle-clip; G, the ears projecting therefrom and through which the draft-bolt passes, and between the said ears my improved coupling'is also adapted to be placed and to embrace the said draft-bolt. The above enumerated elements are here shown as of the ordinary construction, but they may be of any desired form without af-- footing in any manner my invention.

a is one member of my couplingand which is'hereshown as the upper member. This member is rigidly connected withthe shaft 1) by means of the front bolt 0 and the rear bolt d. This upper member being therefore permanently attached to the shaft will for the purpose of convenience and brevity in the claims be termed the permanent member of the coupling. The inner or rear end of this permanent member a. is provided with a U-shaped bolt-receiving socket e, which is formed by bending the rear end of the said permanent member, and the rear wall of this U-shaped socket extends laterally at right angles to the body portion of the permanent member a and a considerable distance beyond the adjacent face thereof, as clearly illustrated. The projecting portion of this Wallfis provided with a transverse opening g, for a purpose to be presently described.

The inner bolt d for the purpose of clam ping the permanent member a to the inner end of the shaft 1) is provided with the usual.

clamping-nut t' and the bolt projecting, as shown at j, for the purposeof receivingalocking thumb-nut m. j.

. The movable member D ofmy coupling consists of practically a straight spring portion D, enlarged inwardly at n, the inner end of this enlargement being concaved for the purposeof engaging the draft-bolt, and this enlargement n is made of a size which will permit it to pass within the U-shaped socket e. Projecting inwardly from the inner end of this enlargement n is a hook-shaped projection r, which is adapted to pass through the passage-way g in the projecting portion for" the socket e, and the hooked portion 8 of this projection r extends downwardly or in a direction away from the draft-bolt.

clamping-nut 11 of the bolt j, and at the ends {of this opening tfis provided the oppositely- =width that these lugs will engage the outer edges or walls of the spring-arm D of the movable member.

Preferably the draft-bolt is surrounded by a suitable elastic packing H, which packing may be renewed from time to time-as necessity may require to effect a tight and antirattling joint.

In operation the U -shaped socket eis placed to receive the draft-bolt and its packing or bushing and the removable member is then 7 placedin psiti'on,with its hookedprojection the opening 16 and the notches u on the locking-nut and without removing the lockingnut. The par'ts are placed in position by the reversal of this operation.

From the above description it will be seen that I have produced a very simple, cheap, and effective th'iIl-coupling which is quickly and readily attached and detachedfrorn the vehicle Without the use of any tools whatever, I Havingthus described my invention, what I claim, ent, is I 7 a 1. In a thillc'ou ling, the combination with a shaft, a thi'll-iron having at one end a socket,

and-desire t'o secure by Letters Pata bolt passing through the shaft and the thilliron and projecting therebeyond and a nut on said bolt permanently securing the thill-iron to the shaft, of a spring member having one end interlocking with the socket and the other end provided with a nut-receiving opening and a nut on the projecting end of said bolt on the outside of the spring member, whereby the spring member is clamped against the thill-iron, substantially as described.

2. In a thill-coupling the combination with a shaft, a thill-iron having at one end a socket, a bolt passing through the shaft-and the thilliron and projecting therebeyond, and a nut on said bolt permanently securing the thill-iron to the shaft,'of a spring member having one end interlocking with the socket and the other end provided with a nut-receiving opening having on opposite sides laterally-extending slots, and a locking-nut on the projecting end of the bolt on the outside of the spring-arm, said nut having oppositely-projecting wings provided with upwardly projecting lugs, whereby the said nut straddles the movable spring member, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses,

f v d JAMES HQTHAOKER.

Witnessesk MINES, 1 JQH ROBINSON." 

